One-piece convertible container



Oct. 22, 1957 D. E. KESSLER ONE-PIECE CONVERTIBLE CONTAINER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 12. 1954 gut Elma BY l ATTQENEY5) Oct. 22, 1957 D. E. KESSLER ONE-PIECE CONVERTIBLE CONTAINER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov, 12, 1954 2. o w 5 a M A N 0 Z 2 Z 4 a O a w a 4 s E z a 7a 2 \112 a W M m \M w 1 w 6 an m 1 4 5 m M T J H 5 2.. & M %\\I. E 1. 3 2 x 4 2 w a My A N 5 3 m 2 w ONE-PIECE CONVERTIBLE. CONTAINER David E. Kessler, Cincinnati, Ohio Application November 12, 1954, Serial No. 468,318

2 Claims. (Cl. 229-31) This invention relates to a container or package for canned beverages such as beer, the container being particularly adapted to provide for the icing of the canned beverage in the container by the purchaser.

A container of this general type is disclosed in the copending application of David E. Kessler, Serial No. 442,792, filed July 12, 1954. The container of the copending application is of two-piece construction, consisting of an outer or primary container having an extensible top section which forms the top of the carton when collapsed and which, when erected, provides an open container for confining cracked ice upon the tops of the canned beverage. To prevent leakage of water from the melting ice, and facilitate chilling of the cans, a liner, formed of waterproofsheet material, is inserted in the body portion of the container to envelop the cans and confine the ice water about them.

It is a primary object of the present invention to provide a container having the same advantages but which is of simplified, one-piece construction,.eliminating the waterproof liner of the prior application.

The ice pack containers of the prior application and of this application are intended particularlyfor use on picnics, outings, fishing expeditions, and the like. Canned beer is a popular beverage for such occasions; however, the icing of the beer ordinarily involves a problem away from home. if the beer is iced in coolers or tubs, then the individual beer cans must be removed from the shipping container in which they are purchased, then repacked in the cooler with ice. Moreover, the coolers or tubs are bulky and nust be transported to and from the outing. The ice pack containers eliminate these problems since they allow the beer to be iced in its original container without any handling of the cans.

The present structure briefly comprises a container in the form of a carton body to confine the cans of beer a with their tops exposed, and an extensible top section, which when folded forms the top closure of the carton and which in erected position, forms a container for the cracked ice which is packed upon the tops of the cans in the carton. The container is fabricated from a onepiece blank of waterproof paperboard which is suitably configurated and scored to form a seamless waterproof carton, with the extensible top section forming an integral part of the top of the carton body. In order to make the carton waterproof, the four corners of the carton body are provided with one-piece gusset sections folded inwardly and thus providing a corner structure which is devoid by slots or perforations so as to prevent leakage of water. The carton body is erected from its blank simply by folding the gusset sections inwardly upon one another and attaching them by suitable means, such as staples, to the erected walls of the carton.

The erection of the carton body automatically brings the extensible top section to erected position. The top section is provided with connecting flaps at the four corners which form a part of the one-piece gussets of the 0 upon erection of its walls.

2,810,506 EP-atented Qct. 22,1957

carton body. The connecting flaps reside againstthe side walls of the top extension when erected and are attached thereto, thus forming aconnector at'the four cornersof the top section. -In order to provide the convenient collapsing and erection of the top section, its end walls (or side walls if desired) are provided at the four corners with hinge sectionswhich act as foldable links connecting the side and end Walls, whereby the top-section is conveniently erected and collapsed.

For convenience in carrying the ice carton, the side walls of the top section are provided with hand-grip flaps which, upon erection of the top section, are bent outwardly for gripping purposes. In collapsed condition these flaps form a part of the top closure and meet at the center of the top closure.

The various features and advantages of the structure are disclosed in detail in the following description in conjunction with the drawings.

In the drawings:

Figure Us a perspective view of the container in packed and sealed condition.

Figure 2'is a perspective view showing the extensible top section -of the container'partially erected preparatory to packing the cracked ice therein.

Figure 3 is a'perspective view of the container with the extensible top section erected and with the ice packed upon the cans ofbeverage confined in the body .of the carton.

Figure 4 isa plan view of the one-piece blank of waterproof sheetmaterial from which the container is erected.

Figure 5 is a perspective view of the container in the.

process of being erected from the blank shown in Fig ure 4.

Referring to Figure 2, the container consists of a lower body portion indicated generally at and an extensible top section indicated at 11 which, when erected, forms a container for the cracked ice 12 (Figure 3) and, which when folded downwardly, provides the top closure of the carton as shown in Figure 1. In closed position, the top closure is secured upon the container preferably by means of a strip of sheet material 13 coated with a suitable adhesive and attached to the adjoining edges of the top section.

It will be noted in Figure 4, that the container is fabricated from a one-piece blank. suitably scored to provide the integral carton body portion 10 and extensible top section 11. Described in detail with reference to Figures 2 and 4, the carton body 10 consists of opposed side walls 14-14, end walls 1515 and a bottom panel 36. The side walls 14 are joined to the bottom panel along the longitudinal score lines 17-417 and the end walls 15i5 are delineated by the transverse lines 18-48.

The side and end walls are joined together at the four corners of the container by the one-piece gussets, indicated generally at 20 which, as best shown in Figure 5, are folded inwardly as the carton walls are erected. Since the gussets and wall sections are formed of a one-piece sheet blank, the body of the carton in erected condition forms a waterproof container devoid of seams or perforations. When the body portion is erected, the gussets iii are folded inwardly against the side walls and attached preferably by the metal staples 21 in the conventional manner.

Described in detail, each gusset is in the form of a pair of triangular panels 2222 delineated by the diagonal score line 23 (Figure 4) along which line the panels are joined together. The diagonal score lines 23 are impressed in the blank from a side which causes the gussets 20 naturally to spring inwardly of the carton body The panels 22 are joined respectively to the side and end walls along the longito its erected condition, as shown in Figure 2. In general, the top section comprises a pair of side walls 2424 joined to a pair of end walls 2S25, each end wall having a diagonal hinge section, indicated generally at 26 at the four corners of the top section. The sections 26, by theirhinge action, provide links which force the end walls 25 inwardly as the side walls 24 are forced downwardlytoward closed position upon' the carton body.

Described in detail with reference to Figure 4, the side walls 24 of the top'section are joined to the side walls 14 of the carton body along the longitudinal score lines a 27, which are parallel with the score lines 17. The end walls 25 of the top section are joined to the end walls 15 at the carton along the score lines 28. The score lines 27 and 28 are spaced equally; from score lines 17 and 18,- such that they lie in the same horizontal plane (Figure 2) when the container is erected.

In order to join the side and end walls 24 and 25 of i the top section, a connector flap 30 is formed at opposite ends of the end walls 25. The connector flaps are delineated by the longitudinal score lines 17 and by the transverse score lines 28. When the carton body 10 is erected, with the gussets folded inwardly along score line 23, the connector flaps assume their erected position since they are integral with the upper edges of gussets.

Therefore,.when the gussets 20 are stapled to the side walls 14, as indicated at 21, an additional staple 31 is applied to the connector flaps to'attach them to the side walls 24 of the top section.

As shown in Figure 4, the end walls of the top section are provided with diagonal score lines 32 which delineate the hinge sections 26. The diagonal score lines extend from the intersection of the longitudinal score lines 17 and transverse score lines 28 and converge inwardly toward one another, terminating at the outer edge of each end wall.

rally to cause the 'end walls 25 to spring inwardly toward one another as shown in Figure 2. In this condition the end walls 25 are readily collapsed when the side walls 24 are folded inwardly and downwardly.

Referring to Figure 3, the upper edges of the collapsible top section are provided with hand grip flaps 3333. These flaps provide a convenient gripping means by which the iced container may be carried about. When the top section is folded down, the flaps 33 form a part of the top closure as shown in Figure 1.

As shown in Figure 4, the hand grip flaps 33 form a part of the side walls 24 and are delineated by the score lines 34. After the carton is opened and the top section erected, the hand grip flaps are simply folded outwardly along their score lines to a position to be gripped conveniently.

From the foregoing, it will be observed that the onepiece container forms a rugged structure which is erected very conveniently for icing purposes. After the ice is packed in, the water from the melting ice is confined without leakage in the carton body by virtue of the onepiece gussets 20 which provide a watertight container which is devoid of all joints or seams.

Having described my invention I claim:

1. A one-piece convertible container for canned beverages providing a carton for confining the cans and a collapsible top section which, when erected, provides an open receptacle for confining ice upon the top of the cans, the top section upon being collapsed providing a fiat top closure for the carton which overlies the tops of The score lines 32 are impressed from a side of the panel to form hinge lines which tend natuthe cans therein, said carton comprising a rectangular bottom, a pair of side walls and a pair of end walls, said side and end walls delineated by longitudinal and trans verse score lines intercepting one another, integral gussets joining said side and end walls together permanently in erected position at the corners of the carton, each of said gussets constituted by a pair of triangular panels delineated by portions of the longitudinal and transverse score lines which extend upwardly from the point of interception thereof at said bottom, a diagonal score line extending upwardly from said point of interception at said bottom and delineating a common side of each pair of triangular gusset panels, said triangular panels being folded inwardly upon one another along said diagonal score lines and attached facially to the side walls of the carton and securing the side and end walls permanently in erected position, said folded triangular gusset panels extending from the bottom of the carton to the upper edge thereof, and providing a waterproof seal, said collapsible top section comprising side and end wall extensions rising upwardly from the upper edges of the side and end walls of the carton and delineated by a second set of longitudinal and transverse score lines extending in planes parallel with said rectangular bottom, a respective hand grip flap extending from the outer edge of each side wall and delineated by a longitudinal score line extending parallel with the said second set of Iongitudinal score lines, respective connector flaps joining the side and end wall extensions together, each of said connector flaps having one edge joined to the upper edge of the adjacent triangular gusset panel and having a second edge joined to the edge of the adjacent end wall extensions, the end wall extensions each having a diagonal fold line converging inwardly and upwardly from the second set of transverse score lines and delineating respective triangular hinge sections which collapse inwardly between the side and end wall extensions and in facial contact therewith when the flat top section is collapsed to provide a top closure for the carton body, said top closure residing parallel with said bottom and confining the cans in the carton, said hand grip flaps foldable outwardly and reinforcing the side wall extensions upon erection of the top section, said hinge sections drawing the end wall extensions to an erected position when the side wall extensions are suspended in erect position by gripping the hand grip flaps.

2. A one-piece convertible container for canned beverages providing a carton for confining the cans and a collapsible top section which, when erected, provides an open receptacle for confining ice upon the top of the cans, said top section when collapsed providing a flat top closure for the carton body which overlies the tops of the cans, said carton comprising a rectangular bottom, a pair of side walls and a pair of end walls, said side and end walls delineated by longitudinal and transverse score lines intercepting one another, integral gussets joining said side and end walls together permanently in erected position at the corners of the carton, each of said gussets constituted by a pair of triangular panels delineated by portions of the longitudinal and transverse score lines which extend upwardly from the point of interception thereof at said bottom, a diagonal score line extending upwardly from said point of interception at said bottom and delineating a common side of each pair of triangular gusset panels, said triangular panels being folded inwardly upon one another along said diagonal score lines and attached facially to the side walls of the carton body and securing the side and end walls permanently in erected position, said folded triangular gusset panels extending from the bottom of the carton to the upper edge thereof and providing a waterproof seal, said collapsible top section comprising side and end wall extensions rising upwardly from the upper edges of the side and end walls of the carton and delineated by a second set of longitudinal and transverse score lines extending in a plane parallel with said rectangular bottom, the side wall extensions rising upwardly above the end walls a distance at least one-third greater than the height of the end walls, a hand grip flap on each side wall extension, respective score lines extending parallel with the said second set of longitudinal score lines and delineating said flaps, respective connector flaps joining the side and end wall extensions togetheneach of said connector flaps having one edge joined to the upper edge of the adjacent triangular gusset panel and having a second edge joined to the edge of the adjacent end wall extensions, the end wall extensions each having a diagonal fold line converging inwardly and upwardly from the second set of transverse score lines and delineating respective triangular hinge sections which collapse inwardly between the side and end wall extensions and in facial contact therewith when the top section is collapsed to provide a top closure for the carton body, said side wall extensions and hand grip flaps foldable downwardly providing a flat closure residing parallel with said bottom which converts the con tainer into a carton upon collapse of the top section, said hand grip flaps foldable outwardly and reinforcing the side wall extensions upon erection of the top section, said hinge sections drawing the end wall extensions to an erected position when the side wall extensions are suspended in erected position by gripping the hand grip flaps.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 394,158 Crume Dec. 11, 1888 413,784 Hotchkiss Oct. 29, 1889 2,008,443 Froehlig July 16, 1935 2,305,365 Wentz Dec. 15, 1942 2,745,592 Steck May 15, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS 441,211 Great Britain Ian. 15, 1936 463,482 Great Britain Mar. 30, 1937 

